Flagship Event Healthfest returns again for Ireland’s Transition Year Students

Over 3,000 secondary students and teachers from all over the country attended last year’s HealthFest event in the RDS in Dublin. Organised by the National Dairy Council and safefood, the free event has become one of the most highly anticipated events for transition year students. This year’s event is being held on Thursday 26th April at the National Sports Campus in Dublin. The full day seminar is designed to educate young people about the importance of healthy eating and physical activity in a practical, engaging and fun environment.

A recent study indicates that there is a “startling drop-off” in fitness among secondary school students after the Junior Cert. The findings, gathered as part of the Irish Life Health’s 2017 school fitness challenge, are likely to be of concern to parents and policy-makers. The results of the study of more than 30,000 students throughout Ireland and a survey of physical education (PE) teachers shows a firm trend towards neglecting fitness in exam years and in particular after the Junior Cert.

Healthfest Speaker and fitness expert Karl Henry said “Regular activity can have a very positive impact on how you feel about yourself,” said Karl. “It’s about improving your energy and motivation. It’s about the fun and camaraderie of group or team-based activities. It’s about how good you can feel with each achievement along the way. But most of all it’s about the real difference this can make to your health now and in the future”.

This year’s Healthfest promises to be an amazing day, there will Interactive sessions with the experts including leading fitness expert Karl Henry, Orla Walsh, a leading Irish independent dietitian, Chef Adrian Martin who will demonstrate some of his favourite dishes and special guest speaker, Eoghan McDermott of 2FM who will speak about the importance of looking after their mental health and wellbeing. The MC for the event is of Michael Carey, a radio and TV presenter and Mr Social Media for TG4 and also now has his own keep fit series with RTE in association with Operation transformation.

Diet and nutrition will be a big focus on the day, giving young people the tools and skills to understand the importance of eating well with a healthy balanced diet. During the teenage years this is even more important to support the phase of rapid growth and development.

As well as the importance of managing physical health and wellbeing, Healthfest will also cover the increasingly important area of mental health and young people, RTE’s Eoghan McDermottreally resonated on this subject with last year’s audience, he said

“The conversation around mental health has opened up so much the past few years, it really feels like the tide is turning in terms of people feeling comfortable in expressing openly times of distress. I look forward to acknowledging this shift and exploring what happens next..”

Transition Year provides young people with the skills to make a smooth transition between a highly-structured environment up to Junior Cert, towards the more independent self-directed learning required for the final senior Senior Cycle at school. Healthfest is designed to advise students about feeling and looking their best from the inside out, making that first impression and above all, enjoying the ups and downs in life and turning them into positive learning experiences.

Minister for Education, Richard Bruton said,

“This Government has put a strong emphasis on promoting and encouraging healthy lifestyles. Our schools have an important role to play in this by supporting and educating our young people to make healthy choices. Students are taught key skills to empower them to make these healthier life choices right throughout their education. This can be seen across the curriculum, through subjects such as Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE), and Home Economics as well as in Physical Education, which from this September will be an examinable Leaving Certificate subject. I welcome events such as Healthfest, as they support schools in these endeavors and I encourage the thousands of students attending the event to actively engage with the very interesting and informative sessions planned.